Durham Damp and Mould: A Large Student HMO Market and County-Wide Terraces

Durham's private rented sector is driven by its university: it has a large student HMO market, and it is one of the North East's most significant relative to the city's small size. The census and flood figures below, however, cover the whole of County Durham, which is large and mostly not city, so read them as the backdrop rather than a profile of the city centre.

County Durham in numbers

• Private rented households: 17.1% (England 20.5%); social rented: 20.0% (England 17.1%)
• Terraced homes: 35.4% (England 23.0%); flats: 5.0% (England 21.4%)
• Homes with no central heating: 0.6% (England 1.5%)
• Overcrowded households: 1.5% (England 4.4%)
• River or sea flood risk: 0.6% (England 1.9%); surface-water risk: 4.3% (England 5.9%)
• Rainfall: about 676 mm a year at the Durham station, roughly a mile away

Why are student HMOs different?

County-wide overcrowding is low at 1.5%, but a shared student house is a different environment from the county average: several adults, many showers and meals, laundry dried indoors and rooms heated in bursts. Condensation risk is high even in a sound building. Extractor fans that run automatically, a ventilated place to dry washing, heating that reaches every room and a short written guide for each new set of tenants all help.

A checklist for the changeover

1. Inspect and photograph bathrooms, kitchens and window reveals when tenants leave.
2. Test extractor fans and clear trickle vents.
3. Treat any mould at its cause and repaint with an anti-mould product only after the surface is dry.
4. Give the new tenants ventilation and heating guidance in writing.

Terraces across the county

More than a third of homes in County Durham are terraced, against 23.0% for England, while flats are only 5.0%. Solid-wall terraces are cold surfaces that attract condensation, and the usual causes of penetrating damp are gutters, chimneys, pointing and roof coverings. Flood risk is low, so look first at the fabric.

What landlords must do

The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires a rented home to be fit to live in, and the council can assess damp and mould under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Landlords of larger HMOs have further licensing and management duties.

Awaab's Law currently applies to social housing, with private landlords expected to follow. Our guide to Awaab's Law and the private rented sector covers the current position.

To find a specialist, see our Durham damp and mould page, and the council's damp and mould page.